Bengaluru Police Commissioner dismisses rumours of ‘active terror cell’ in city

Police

On Saturday, Bengaluru police issued a notice to all their personnel to remain on high alert in the city.

TNM Staff

After an alert was sounded by the police in Bengaluru on Saturday, rumours of the ‘possibility of a terrorist cell active in Bengaluru’ began to do the rounds on WhatsApp and social media. However, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao has dismissed such messages and has asked people to refrain from spreading panic.  A message doing the rounds stated: “VERY HIGH ALERT DECLARED BY COMMISSIONER BHASKAR RAO: Received from Central Home ministry today. Be extremely cautious while visiting Malls, Movie Theatres, Crowded Streets, Prayer halls, temples,Mosques during this weekend. Avoid if possible. Possibility of a terrorist cell active in Bangalore (sic).” After the message triggered panic among many, Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao spoke to the media and said that the high alert was issued as part of a general exercise that the police follow and that there was no truth in the message about the terrorist cell. "This is a routine exercise that the police follows to ensure that the city is safe. This is an exercise that we have started to improve ourselves to see how KSP can be better, how the police force can better protect the people. This is something we are doing for ourselves. I request people not to panic over this high alert and do not believe in the fake news messages that are spreading on social media," he said. Earlier on Saturday, Bengaluru police had issued a notice to all its personnel to remain on high alert in the city on Saturday. Commissioner Bhaskar Rao had stated that the alert was sounded for a 'general' threat and not for anything specific. The advisory issued by the Commissioner directed Additional and Deputy Commissioners to sensitise high alert at all iconic Bengaluru areas like Vidhana Soudha, High Court, railway stations, metro stations, bus stations, major schools, malls, five-star hotels and busy markets. The police were also directed to ensure that CCTV cameras are functioning in all areas and that there's a visible police presence at check-posts. The circular also said that checks will be carried out at paying guest accommodations, service apartments, hostels and private buildings.

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Why activists are fed up of ‘elite task forces’ constituted for Bengaluru’s development

Civic

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had said that a Bengaluru Development Task Force would be formed for the overall development of Bengaluru.

Theja Ram

After toppling the coalition in Karnataka, the new BJP government is following in the footsteps of its predecessors and is going to form another “elite task force” to advise the government regarding Bengaluru city’s development. Taking exception to the formation of the elite task force, Citizens’ Agenda For Bengaluru, a city-based group of activists, is opposing the new government’s idea to form yet another task force which does not have any implementational authority. Since 1999, which is when former Chief Minister SM Krishna started the concept of an elite task force, successive governments have constituted their own task forces but these end up lasting only until a new government comes into place. During the speech he made in Bengaluru on Independence Day, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa had said that a Bengaluru Development Task Force would be formed for the overall development of Bengaluru. “The aim of my government is to make Bengaluru the real Silicon Valley of India. Bengaluru should be developed just like California and San Francisco,” he had said.  He said that the new task force will comprise elected representatives, urban planners and entrepreneurs.  Speaking to TNM, Sandeep Anirudhan, who is a part of the Citizens’ Agenda For Bengaluru, said that activists have expressed their opposition to the taskforce and if the government decides to go ahead with the formation of this taskforce without consulting with the public, protests will be launched. “The BJP had promised the exact opposite in their manifesto. They had not mentioned the setting up of an elite task force but had said they will empower local self-governance and citizen participation in governance. If they are not going to stick to their promises, we will protest,” Sandeep said. What the BJP manifesto had said Ahead of the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections, the BJP had come out with an exhaustive manifesto for Bengaluru’s development. One of the first promises made in the manifesto was to constitute and empower a new Metropolitan Planning Committee, integrate all agencies including inter-modality of transport services in the city and empower ward committees and citizen participation. “Right to service for all citizens, citizen participation,” the manifesto read. “What worked for the BJP was that they had promised one unified civic body that addresses all issues rather than having various agencies for different things. We are demanding that they keep those promises and also demand that reforms in BBMP must take place. We also demand that the elected council must be held accountable and the term of the mayor must be extended to over 1 year in order to ensure accountability. These elite task forces do not have any citizen representatives at all,” Sandeep added. Bengaluru’s history of elite task forces The first elite task force was formed in 1999 by former Chief Minister SM Krishna. The Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) was headed by former Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani and urban planners like Naresh V Narasimhan and V Ravichandar were a part of it. The task force aimed at creating a public-private partnership in formulating development policies for the city. The BATF ceased to exist when Krishna dissolved the Assembly.  It was BATF that set the precedent for successive elite task forces.  In 2008, the Kasturirangan Committee was formed to come up with a framework for Bengaluru's governance. The Kasturirangan Committee had recommended the formation of the Metropolitan Planning Committee, which the Siddaramaiah government formed only in 2014. However, this MPC only had representatives from BBMP, Bengaluru Development Authority and the state bureaucracy.  In 2010, when Yediyurappa was the CM, he had set up another elite task force called Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure and Development (ABIDe), which had Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Dr Devi Shetty, who runs the Narayana group of hospitals, and Mohandas Pai. This task force also ceased to exist when Yediyurappa was forced to step down as the CM.  "Look at the history of these task forces. They are extra-governmental bodies, with no real power. They are just influencing governments to carry out works that are beneficial to them. What's important is citizen representation and we demand that," Sandeep added. 

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3,240 uneven manhole chambers pose threat to Bengaluru's motorists, says BBMP

Civic Issues

However, the blame game between BBMP and BWSSB has resulted in the issue not being addressed.

TNM Staff

Representation photo

Pothole-riddled roads are not the only problem that Bengaluru’s motorists are witnessing. Commuters are now stuck with uneven manhole chambers, which are posing threats to two-wheeler riders in the city. According to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), there are over 3000 manhole chambers mostly in the South and West zones that have been labelled as dangerous. However, an inter-agency feud has resulted in the issue not being addressed, posing a risk to motorists. According to BBMP Chief Engineer in-charge of road infrastructure development, S Somashekar, 3,240 manhole chambers in the city are either below or above the road level, which is posing a threat to many motorists. “We have received several complaints over the last few weeks. A joint inspection by BBMP and BWSSB (Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board) officials was conducted and a count of such dangerous manhole chambers was made. These are mostly located in South and West zone. But there are dangerous manhole chambers across the city,” Somashekar said. According to BWSSB figures, there are 2,04,702 manholes located in over 6,000 km of the city’s roads. In addition, 4,830 manholes are being managed by Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (Bescom), Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (KPTCL), BSNL and broadband network companies that lay optic fibre cables underground. “It is the task of those maintaining manhole chambers to ensure that the chamber’s opening is levelled with the roads. As potholes develop, and roads are repaired, these chambers tend to get uneven. If the chamber opening is higher than the road level, it causes unnecessary road bumps. In most of these 3000-odd cases, the chambers are below the road level, making them look like deep potholes in the middle of the roads,” Somashekar added. The BBMP has submitted these figures to Chief Secretary Vijay Bhaskar at the co-ordination committee meeting held last week. However, BWSSB officials now claim that BBMP did not conduct any joint inspection and has not submitted a list of areas and street names where these inspections were conducted to BWSSB. Speaking to TNM, BWSSB Chief Engineer Kemparamaiah says that the agency has finished leveling over 17,000 manhole chambers since this year after a joint inspection was conducted in February. However, Kemparamaiah alleges that BBMP came up with a new figure of 3,240 uneven manhole chambers, for which no joint inspection was conducted. “BBMP and BWSSB conducted the joint survey and identified 17,000 manhole chambers to be uneven in February. We just finished that work last week and submitted the report to the Chief Secretary. But during that meeting, BBMP said that another joint inspection was conducted and 3,240 additional chambers were identified. But there was no joint inspection for this. We have been asking BBMP to give us. Obviously the people will suffer but BBMP should care enough,” Kemparamaiah added.  However, BBMP officials say that BWSSB was issued a notice weeks ago and that the agency's laxity had resulted in the works not being carried out.  "We had sent notices to BWSSB stating the names of the roads and areas weeks ago. The works have not been completed. We are receiving so many complaints on WhatsApp and Twitter about the sewage flowing on roads and the manhole chambers posing a threat to motorists," a senior BBMP official said.     

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Karnataka records highest rainfall in 118 years from Aug 3-10

Karnataka Rains 2019

In this period, the state received 279% more than normal rainfall.

TNM Staff

Karnataka received 279% more than normal rainfall between August 3 and 10, the highest recorded in the state in 118 years, an analysis of the heavy rainfall reported.  The rainfall led to 'unprecedented' floods and landslides in 21 of the 30 districts in the state. It took the lives of 61 people while 15 are still missing.  The heavy rainfall led to a high inflow of up to 6 lakh cusecs of water into the Krishna river, leading to floods in the northern Karnataka districts of Belagavi, Bagalkot, Raichur and Yadgir. "The inflow is one of the highest recorded in the state," confirmed an official from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC). The disaster body is preparing a detailed report on the rainfall in the state this month. The statistics related to the rain was confirmed by KSNDMC.  Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the floods in Karnataka and appealed for funds to be released immediately from the Central government. The damage due to the floods has been estimated at Rs. 40,000 crores. 1,220 relief camps were opened to shelter more than 4 lakh people displaced by the disaster. The state government has sanctioned Rs 10,000/- each per family for immediate relief, Rs 1 lakh for house repair and Rs 5 lakh for constructing a new house. The state government has proposed relocating people in around 200 affected villages.   4.7 lakh hectares of crops were reported to be affected due to the rains while 18,000 km of roads, 650 bridges and 54,000 electric poles were severely damaged. 58,620 houses were also partially or fully damaged.  Heavy rains caused floods and landslides in the three coastal districts - Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada - and in four Malnad districts - Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga and Hassan. In Kodagu, two major landslides struck a year after landslides took the lives of 18 people in August 2018. A team of scientists from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) are currently studying the affected areas in the hilly district.    

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High alert sounded in Bengaluru, security beefed up in key areas

Security

Police officials said that the alert was 'general' and not in response to any specific threat.

TNM Staff

Bengaluru police has issued a notice to all its personnel to remain on high alert in the city on Saturday. “There should be a high level police presence and visibility at the jurisdictional level until further orders,” said Bhaskar Rao, Bengaluru city police commissioner speaking to The Hindu. He further attempted to downplay the alert describing it as an exercise to evaluate the preparation of the city police in the face of threats. He added that the alert was sounded for a 'general' threat and not for anything specific. The advisory issued by the commissioner directs additional and deputy commissioners to sensitise high alert at all iconic Bengaluru areas like Vidhana Soudha, High Court, railway stations, metro stations, bus stations, major schools, malls, five-star hotels and busy markets. Police will also ensure CCTV cameras are functioning in all areas and there will be visible police presence at check posts.  Checks will be carried out at paying guest accommodations, service apartments, hostels and private buildings. Security arrangements across major towns and cities in the state have also been beefed up, reported the Times of India. In Mangaluru, police officials have been told to increase security at temples, mosques, churches, malls, bus stations, railway stations, and other sensitive areas.  Meanwhile, the devastating floods in Karnataka have claimed the lives of 65 people so far. Water levels have receded in most flood-hit areas on Friday.  On Friday, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa met PM Modi who assured him of central aid to speed up relief works in the flood-hit districts.  "Modi assured state Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa of soon releasing central funds for relief works in the state at the earliest and rushing a central team to assess the damage caused by heavy rains and floods across the state," an official of the Chief Minister's office told IANS in Bengaluru.

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Mysuru businessman shoots dead four family members, later kills self

Crime

After supper, the family went out in an open field where Omprakash allegedly shot his parents, wife and son, before shooting himself with a pistol in the wee hours.

IANS

In a horrifying incident, a 36-year-old Mysuru businessman allegedly shot dead his parents, wife and son before killing self near Bandipur in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar district, police said on Friday. "Omprakash and his 4-member family appear to have entered into a suicide pact, unable to bear the harassment of debtors and the burden of mounting losses from his businesses, including a call centre, real estate and mining at Mysuru and Bengaluru," Chamarajanagar Superintendent of Police HD Anand Kumar said.  Bandipur is 220 km southwest of Bengaluru on way to the popular hill station Ooty in Tamil Nadu across the inter-state border. "Though Omprakash and family live at Mysuru, they drove to a rented farmhouse on Thursday near Bandipur for an overnight stay. He sent away his driver and an attendant, asking them to come back next morning. After midnight supper, the family went out in an open field where Omprakash allegedly shot his parents, wife and son, before shooting himself with a pistol in the wee hours, Kumar said, citing the preliminary report on the incident and visuals taken of the crime scene for investigation. Omprakash's father was Nagaraja (65), mother Hema (60) 8-month-old pregnant wife Nikitha (36) and 4-year-old son Aryan Krishna. "The incident came to light when Omprakash's driver and attendant returned to the farmhouse earlier in the day and found them missing inside. On searching around, the two found their bullet-ridden bodies in a grass field. They informed the police and an FIR was filed based on their deposition. The 0.32 inch bore pistol which Omprakash used in the crime is a licensed firearm of his gunman that was in his car. The Bandipur police station registered a case of murder and unnatural death under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and investigation is underway to ascertain the reasons for the alleged suicide pact. "The five bodies were handed over to Omprakash sister after autopsy at a state-run hospital and were taken on road to Mysuru for the last rites," added Kumar.

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A week after landslide in Kodagu village, search for six missing people continues

Floods

The district administration has requested the state government to send experts who can guide rescue groups in searching for survivors and bodies.

Prajwal Bhat

File image

It has been seven days since a massive landslide occurred in Kodagu’s Thora village, and search operations are still on for six people are still feared to be under the rubble. The landslide occurred on August 9 between 10:30 am and 11 am and wiped out houses, trees and acres of coffee plants. 10 residents of the village were reported missing, of which four have been found dead.  “The search operations have been hampered by the fact that the landslides have affected a large area. The terrain is also such that rigorous search operations might cause further landslips in the area. They are having to dig deep to search for missing people,” said Kodagu Deputy Commissioner Annies Joy.  The district administration has brought in six excavators to expand the area being searched and has also requested the state government to send experts who can guide rescue groups in searching for survivors and bodies.  Search operations have been affected by continuous rainfall in Kodagu district over the past week, and mist in the evening has forced officials to end operations early. However, the rains have reduced in the last two days. Virajpet taluk received 16 mm rainfall on Friday, down from over 100 mm last week. In the week before the landslide, the taluk received 905 mm of rainfall. Residents of Thora have been visiting the spot of the landslide over the past week in the hope of news from rescue groups about those who are missing. Among them is 45-year-old Prabhu Kumar, a resident of the village who has constantly been with rescue groups after his mother, wife and two daughters went missing on the day of the landslide. His wife, Anusuya (40), was found dead on Monday, but three other family members are still missing.  “He has been visiting the landslide spot every day since the disaster. Many residents have pitched in to help the rescue groups search for the missing people. We want to find them even though we know that there is almost no chance of survival now,” said NC Vijay Kumar, a resident of the village. Mamata and Likhita, the wife and daughter of another resident of the village, Paramesh, were found last Saturday after Paramesh's son Nishant guided rescue groups to the spot where he could see their household items.  Two teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are carrying out search operations along with officials from Garuda forces. “We are zeroing in on the areas we need to search by looking for spots where household materials are seen. This indicates that one of the missing people could be nearby, but the rains have turned the entire area into a mass of slush and mud. We are trying to canvass the entire area and dig deep to ensure that we are searching all possible spots,” an NDRF official said. 

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